


Strawberry Weekend

by Sonni89



Category: The Hating Game - Sally Thorne
Genre: F/M, Yuletide Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-09-11 12:32:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8979871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sonni89/pseuds/Sonni89
Summary: Lucy and Josh take their first trip to Sky Diamond Strawberries.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [katayla](https://archiveofourown.org/users/katayla/gifts).



> Happy Yuletide, katayla! I loved this book, so I couldn't resist writing you a treat.
> 
> Thank you to my beta!

Lucy was driving the last few minutes to Sky Diamond Strawberries because she was worried Josh would crash their hire car into a tree. He had been giddy like a little kid ever since they got off the plane and it had progressively gotten worse. Josh was practically jumping up and down in his seat. 

“Oh my god, calm down,” Lucy said. She was endeared by how much Josh wanted to see the strawberry farm.

"Aren't you worried that it won't live up to your expectations?" Lucy asked. 

“There’s no way. I can’t believe I’m finally going to see where you grew up, Shortcake,” he said, grinning from ear to ear. 

“I’m going to lock the car with you still in it, I swear,” Lucy said.

“No you wouldn’t. What kind of impression would that leave on your parents?” he asked.

“My dad would probably cheer for me,” Lucy said.

At that, Josh quieted. She knew he was worried about her parents not liking him. She had told them way too many stories about Joshua, her office nemesis. 

“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine,” Lucy said and reached over the middle console to take Josh’s hand. 

\---

A few minutes later, they pulled up to the farmhouse. Lucy’s mom stormed outside and barely let her get out of the car. 

“Smurfette!” she shouted and wrapped Lucy up in a big hug. 

“Hi, Mom,” Lucy said, beaming. She was trying hard to hold back tears of joy at finally seeing her mother again in the flesh. 

“Mom, this is Joshua,” Lucy said, pointing to Josh, who had just gotten out of the car. 

“It’s very nice to meet you, Mrs. Hutton,” Josh said. 

“Hi, Joshua. It’s very nice to meet you too. Please call me Annie,” she said, and gave him a hug as well. 

Lucy could tell Josh was surprised because he visibly stiffened, but then he relaxed into her mother’s hug. Her mother was a great hugger, so Lucy wasn’t surprised. 

Her mom smiled. He had clearly won her over already. That was fast, but her mom wasn’t who she was worried about. 

Her dad had slowly followed her mom out of the farmhouse. Lucy ran over and hugged her dad as well. As they walked back over to where Josh and her mom were talking about their drive, Lucy interrupted them.

“Dad, meet Joshua,” she said.

“Hi Jeremy,” her dad said stiffly. 

“Dad, you know it’s Joshua,” Lucy said.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Hutton,” Josh said. 

“Nice to meet you too, Jimmy,” he said with about as much enthusiasm as Lucy mustered on laundry day.   


Lucy looked at her father in exasperation. She knew he wasn’t entirely serious, and at least he returned the pleasantries, if reluctantly. Then her dad winked at her. Oh, this was going to be an interesting weekend. 

\---

“Oh, I haven’t seen this one before,” Josh said when he walked through the hallway of the farmhouse. It was the Shrine of Lucy, as she liked to think of it. Pictures of her and often her parents, too, at various stages of her childhood. At this moment, Josh was looking at a picture of her riding a horse out in the fields. 

“Enjoy it while it lasts. This was about ten minutes before the horse threw me off and I broke my arm,” Lucy said.

“Ouch,” Josh said. It sounded like he had wanted to follow up on that, but whatever he wanted to say was interrupted by an “Oh my god.” 

She knew what picture he had found. 

It was a picture of her when she was about four years old, her face covered in strawberry jam, as were her hands. Her cheeks were puffed up like a hamster’s and still, she looked as happy as could be. 

Josh pulled her over to him and kissed her. 

“This is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen,” he said. 

Lucy smiled and blushed. 

\---

They had sex in Lucy’s childhood bedroom, because there was really no way to avoid that. Josh had wanted to see it, and there was a bed in there. 

“I love you, and I already like this place a lot,” Josh said. 

“I love you too. But just you wait, you haven’t even picked a strawberry yet, or tasted my mom’s strawberry shortcake-”

In that moment, Josh burst out laughing. “She actually makes strawberry shortcake?” he asked. 

“Of course,” Lucy said, pretending not to get the joke. “What else are you going to do with that many strawberries?” 

Josh had a satisfied smile on his face. Lucy had to smile then, too. 

\---

The next morning, Lucy and Josh walked into the kitchen for breakfast together. They sat down next to each other at the small kitchen table. Lucy’s dad was already there and Josh looked a little bit… reluctant? Scared? 

“Good morning, Smurfette,” her dad said. “Good morning, James,” he said. 

Lucy just rolled her eyes. She’d just have to watch this play out. She wasn’t worried, her dad was a good man. So was Josh. They’d be fine. 

“All right, Johnny,” Lucy’s dad said. “Tell me. Why should I be happy that you’re dating my daughter when you’ve been such a dick to her?”

“Dad! Language,” Lucy said, gasping in mock outrage. 

“I….” Josh started.

“You don’t have to answer him,” Lucy said. She knew Josh was shy. This visit was already the ultimate test. 

“No, I want to. I’m sorry I was _a dick_ to her, but I’m also not sorry, because she gave as good as she got…” he started.

“That’s my girl,” Lucy’s dad interrupted. 

“...and I firmly believe we needed the antagonism to get us where we are now,” Josh added.

“And where are you now?” Lucy’s dad asked, still a little surly. 

“Just look at her,” Josh said. 

When Josh pointed at her, Lucy blushed. She had had the most ridiculous, goofy smile on her that just screamed ‘I’m so happy’, and it was while her dad and her boyfriend were in an argument. She was so loved, and so lucky. It was all rather cheesy. 

“Are you happy, Smurfette?” her dad asked.

“The happiest,” Lucy said.

“Are you happy when you’re not surrounded by your dear parents and strawberries, too?” he asked.

“Of course. I love Josh,” Lucy said, and she marveled at how quickly it had become normal for her to say that. 

“Do you love her?” he asked Josh. 

“I really do,” Josh said. He turned his head to give Lucy a quick kiss. Her dad pretended to look away.   


“Then I guess that’s good enough for me,” her dad said.  


“Wait, it’s that easy?” Josh asked. 

“What, Julian, you don’t think I should let you off the hook?” Lucy’s dad asked. 

So her dad still hadn’t graduated to calling Josh by his real name. Lucy wondered if he ever would. 

“No, I mean, yes, you should definitely let me off the hook,” Josh said, blabbering a little. “I just don’t understand why, given the stories you must have heard about me.” 

“Oh, the stories I’ve heard. They did not paint a flattering picture, but now I’ve met you. Did you know that when I first met Lucy’s mom, we fell in love very quickly?” he asked. 

“Oh, really?" Josh asked. He sounded genuinely interested. 

“Why is this relevant to us?” Lucy asked at the same time. 

“It is and it isn’t. Not everyone goes about finding and falling in love the same way. When Annie and I met, she picked me out of a tree and we fell in love the _right_ way. Immediately," he said and looked pointedly at Josh. "You clearly picked a very unorthodox way to do it. In any case, I’d suggest you start coming up with a good cover story for the kids now. Wouldn’t want to tell them you’d hated each other’s guts for years."   


At the word ‘kids’, Lucy glanced over at Josh in horror. They hadn’t really talked about that yet. 

Josh looked incredibly relaxed though, like her dad hadn’t just suggested they procreate sooner rather than later. 

"It sounds wonderful how you and your wife met and fell in love so quickly," Josh said. 

Lucy took Josh’s hand and squeezed it. He turned to face her and smiled at her. 

“Okay, time to pick some strawberries,” her dad announced.

\---

It was time to pick Red Gauntlets, Lucy’s childhood favorites. She was excited to share this with Josh. Also, he was in jeans and a short-sleeved plaid shirt and that was a look that was hard to resist. 

Lucy gave Josh a little pink basket, adorned with frills and small bows. Josh just raised an eyebrow at her.

“Sorry, farm rules, Dad’s orders. If it’s your first time picking strawberries, that’s the basket you get,” Lucy said. 

“Sounds good,” Josh said, smiling. He clearly wasn’t bothered. She loved him for that. “Anything I need to know?” he asked. 

“Don’t tell me you’ve never picked strawberries before,” Lucy said. 

“Of course I have. I just thought, maybe there’s a professional way to do it,” Josh teased.

“Just pick some strawberries. Don’t eat all of them,” Lucy ordered.

Half an hour later, Josh’s small basket was almost full. Lucy’s was nearly empty.

“I thought you said, ‘Don’t eat all of them’,” Josh said. It had visibly cost him a lot of restraint not to.

Lucy pointed at the 30 strawberries in her basket. “I didn’t,” she said, her mouth still half full of strawberries. 

Josh kissed her, smiling against the kiss. She knew it was because he could taste strawberry on her. 

\---

Lucy and Josh spent the rest of the long weekend picking strawberries, playing cards with her parents, eating strawberries, eating her mom’s cooking, eating her mom's cooking with strawberries, and having very quiet sex in Lucy’s room. 

Lucy’s dad had really warmed up to Josh. He had once called him ‘Jebediah’ to his face about two days into their stay, when Josh beat him at rummy, and Lucy had thought she would never stop laughing. Even her dad had started laughing. 

When it was time to leave the farm, Lucy was mopey. She hated the part where she left this place behind. City life just wasn’t the same. Especially now that she had Josh with her here. Her parents were in the front hall with them, waiting to say goodbye. 

Josh must have noticed how unhappy Lucy was because he said, “When can we come back here?” 

Her mom beamed. “You’re welcome anytime,” she said. 

“How about in three weeks for the weekend?” Josh asked her mom. Then turning to Lucy, he said, “My treat.” 

Lucy smiled her widest smile and Josh smiled back. If this was anyone but her, she’d think they were being gross. She was just too happy to care, though. He wanted to come back here so soon? To her favorite place on Earth? How did she get this lucky? 

“Lucy?” her mom prompted.

“Three weeks from now sounds fantastic,” she said. 

Never in a million years would Lucy have believed she’d get from ‘ihatejosh4eva’ to Josh hanging out with her parents at Sky Diamond Strawberries in the span of just a few months. 

Her mom hugged both Lucy and Josh. 

“See you in three weeks, Joshua,” her dad said.

First, no one reacted. Then, about two seconds later, Lucy gasped. 

“Did you actually just call him ‘Joshua’?” she asked, beaming. 

“Oops, I guess I ran out of names starting with J,” he said impishly. Lucy knew him well enough to know that it was absolutely deliberate. 

“I love you, Dad,” Lucy said and hugged him.

She couldn’t believe he finally called Josh by his real name. He might as well have said, ‘welcome to the family,’ if her dad were the mushy sort.   


“See you in three weeks, Mr. Hutton,” Josh said, smiling, and Lucy was surprised yet again when her dad pulled Josh in for a quick hug as well. Josh looked surprised as well. 

“See you soon,” her dad said and led them out the door. 


End file.
